Questions tagged [sutras]

A type of literary composition in of varying length. In Buddhism this mostly refers to canonical texts. Sutras is a Sanskrit term however the Pali term sutta is often used by certain traditions. The two terms are equivalent.

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How should one teach the Dhamma to others?

Answering questions here in buddhism.stackexchange.com is often Dhamma teaching, or at least an effort of it. How can that be rightly done?
Kumāra Bhikkhu's user avatar
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What are the sets of things in SN 1.44?

What are the sets of one, two, three, five and twelve things mentioned in the sutta below? What does it mean? From SN 1.44 (translated by Bhikkhu Sujato): “One is the root, two are the whirlpools, ...
ruben2020's user avatar
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Does the Lankavatara Sutra exist anywhere online in Tibetan script, Sanskrit (Devanagari), or Chinese?

Not sure what the earliest copy is we have of the Lankavatara Sutra, but wondering if it can be found online for free in copy/pastable text format (i.e. not PDF or image). I am looking through The ...
Lance's user avatar
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Can someone help me to find suttas on Self compassion

QN: I'm looking for Buddha's teachings on self compassion. (Especially for lay practitioners.) There are few verses which can be found in Dhammapada: He, who by good deeds covers the evil he has done,...
threefold's user avatar
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A question about DN 23 and existence of soul

Here is a part of DN 23: “Even though Master Kassapa says this, still I think that there’s no afterlife.” “Can you prove it?” “I can.” “How, exactly, chieftain?” “Suppose they were to arrest a bandit,...
user17389's user avatar
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AN 7.64 kodhana (anger), case 3 of 7 unclear what is meant by "profit" or "loss", and how exactly that sabotages what angry person wants

(pali + english, derived from b. Sujato trans.) http://lucid24.org/an/an07/an07-v05/index.html#s64 (b. thanissaro eng. trans) https://www.dhammatalks.org/suttas/AN/AN7_60.html The passage in ...
frankk's user avatar
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Sutta on which Buddha states the gravity of merits

What is the sutta where Buddha says about the order of merits as in for example "Observing the 5 precepts gives more merit than offering alms" and such.
ArbitraryChoices's user avatar
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What is the "meditation on emptiness" in MN 121?

What is the "meditation on emptiness" in MN 121? What does "emptiness" refer to in this sutta? Also, what does "oneness dependent on the perception of ..." mean in this sutta? “Indeed, Ānanda, ...
ruben2020's user avatar
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Dhatu-vibhanga sutta question?

Why consciousness not discussed as internal and external in Dhathu-vibhanga sutta? "And what is the space property? The space property may be either internal or external. What is the internal ...
SarathW's user avatar
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Does the Foam Sutta (SN 22.95) say there are "no things" or, otherwise, discuss emptiness similar to Nagarjuna?

I read the following on the internet: I think your saying that "Nagarjuna that purports there are no things" was an oversimplification or misrepresentation -- conversely the quote or summary ...
Dhamma Dhatu's user avatar
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Is Dhamma-thinking considered wise attention?

According to AN 5.73 (translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu): "Then there is the case where a monk takes the Dhamma as he has heard & studied it and thinks about it, evaluates it, and examines it ...
ruben2020's user avatar
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Why did Buddha use the 'Raft Simile'?

The Raft Simile says, in part: I have taught the Dhamma compared to a raft, for the purpose of crossing over, not for the purpose of holding onto. Understanding the Dhamma as taught compared to a ...
threefold's user avatar
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Like a fish in a puddle, what joy is there

For years I've been trying to find the source of a quote, but I've only been able to get so far. The quote is "Like a fish in a puddle, what joy is there." This seems to come from some verses ...
A.Ellett's user avatar
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What did Buddha mean by the words "tranquillising the bodily formation" in the Anapanasati Sutta?

“Here a bhikkhu, gone to the forest or to the root of a tree or to an empty hut, sits down; having folded his legs crosswise, set his body erect, and established mindfulness in front of him, ever ...
Damocle Damoclev's user avatar
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2 answers
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Which Sutta? Karma of unknowingly doing evil is worse than knowingly doing evil

Which Sutta? Karma of unknowingly doing evil is worse than knowingly doing evil. Which Sutta(s) talk about this, hopefully in more detail than I can remember? The subject is karmic consequence, and ...
frankk's user avatar
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What is the common understanding of all enlightened people?

There are many sutras and they are on different topics. Many people got enlightened by asking different sutras. Ven. Saripuththa thero got sothapanna by asking to cause and effect. Ven. Kondanna thero ...
Dum's user avatar
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Infinity, eternity, countlessness in Buddhism

I'm interested in concepts of infinity, eternity, countlessness, etc. in Buddhist thought. Could you please help me out with sources, both primary and secondary, where these concepts are used? I ...
Feodor's user avatar
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1 answer
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Stages of Compassion in Mahayana

Dear friends, I am looking for references pertaining to the notion of the Four Stages of Compassion in the Mahayana traditions. Thank you for your kind and generous help, may you all be well and safe. ...
Fabien Todescato's user avatar
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Relaxation vs Laziness

In karniyametta sutta, Lord Buddha advised us to be relaxed and not to cling to the work. How can I recognise relaxation from laziness ?
Dum's user avatar
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Does the Buddha deny genetic differences?

In MN.98, the Buddha seems to deny the ethnic/racial/genetic differences between humans. He seems to indicate that differences in physical traits between individuals are not determined by birth as in ...
Kalapa's user avatar
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How do you understand the Cakkavatti Sutta?

https://suttacentral.net/dn26/en/sujato How could humans have lived 80 000 years in the past? And how could we live 10 years in the future, with people reaching sexual maturity at five, when life ...
Kalapa's user avatar
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How can we correlate Buddhist cosmology with astronomical cosmology?

How can we correlate Buddhist cosmology with astronomical cosmology? Basically I have following questions. Moon is considered 51 yojan in height and 50 is the sun. Sun is self illuminated and heat is ...
XPD's user avatar
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The Practice of Giving: How to Practice Giving "Thusly"?

In the Diamond Sutra (or Vajra Prajna Paramita Sutra) Buddha says to Subhuti: a Bodhisattva should not dwell anywhere when he gives. He should not dwell in forms when he gives, nor should he dwell ...
Uralan's user avatar
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Are monks expected to accept life lessons from (time spent with) the laity?

In general, the monks are expected to preach the Dhamma and the laity should listen. But "behind the scenes", so to say, should monks really be learning from at least some situations they run into ...
Erik Kaplun's user avatar
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4 answers
404 views

What are other peoples minds according to the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra?

I read that everything is just my own mind from the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. If everything is my own mind, what about other peoples minds? Are they also my own mind? How can this be understood? For ...
Malik A's user avatar
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What is bhramcharya or 3rd percept? [duplicate]

Is it only pertaining to "no adultery" for layman or as "no sex" for monk? If such is the case, why in ganika sutta it was mentioned as "path middle to celibacy and adultery" for ganika(female ...
Angel's user avatar
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If Buddha had unconditional love, why did he "kill" some of his monks?

I recall there is a sutta where the Buddha said he "kills" some monks, that is, completely ignores them or something similar. Is this contrary to metta (unconditonal love)?
Dhamma Dhatu's user avatar
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Are there suttas that recommend a specific order of the buddhist practices?

Every now and then i see claims that a particular practice of the noble eightfold path (or alternatively, the threefold division) builds on a specific preceding practice. Two examples of claims (...
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6 answers
317 views

What could be some teachings that Buddha has not revealed to us?

In Maha-parinibbana Sutta Buddha has said: "there is nothing, Ananda, with regard to the teachings that the Tathagata holds to the last with the closed fist of a teacher who keeps some things ...
user17389's user avatar
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3 votes
4 answers
222 views

Soul that transmigrates?

In Timsa Sutta Buddha says: "What do you think, monks? Which is greater, the blood you have shed from having your heads cut off while transmigrating & wandering this long, long time, or the water ...
user17389's user avatar
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2 votes
1 answer
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Who was the King Okkāka mentioned in Sutta Nipāta?

I have come across the following verse from Sutta Nipāta (verse 305 - P.104) mentioned by Buddha. Then they composed some Vedic hymns and went chanting to Okkāka king: “Great your wealth and ...
srimannarayana k v's user avatar
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1 answer
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What are the Wikipedia Pages for these Kangyur titles

Not knowing Tibetan or having access to a wide array of sources, I am using the (Tibetan script) Kangyur from these. The table of contents is here pretty much. After converting their Excel file to a ...
Lance's user avatar
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1 vote
1 answer
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The World • It Disintegrates

Friends, I am looking for a sutta from the Pali Canon wherein the Buddha, expounding the nature of the world, goes somewhat like this : And what is the world ? That which disintegrates is the ...
Fabien Todescato's user avatar
2 votes
2 answers
134 views

Question about the Samādhirāja-sūtra

I have a similar question about the Samādhirāja-sūtra. Is the Samādhirāja-sūtra, a mahAyAnA sUtra or does it occur in the nikAyas or somewhere else? What is the historically accepted date of this ...
The crow and the coconut's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
166 views

Question about the Pitāpūtrasamāgama-sūtra

Is the pitāpūtrasamāgama-sūtra, a Mahayana sutra or does it occur in the nikayas or somewhere else? What is the historically accepted date of this sutra? Does this sutra precede Nagarjuna or is it a ...
The crow and the coconut's user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
263 views

Literal translation of Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra

What is the literal meaning of Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra. Everywhere I read it says "The Perfection of Wisdom in 8000 Lines", but that is not a literal translation as far as I can tell. What ...
Lance's user avatar
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Is regret worth?

Today I regret for a sparrow was wandering around running ceiling fan. Even I had noticed and think to turn it off but I forget. I don't care if it was my bad karma which is not important than ...
Swapnil's user avatar
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5 votes
7 answers
568 views

Neither standing nor swimming, I crossed the flood

From the Crossing the Flood Sutta below, we read that the Buddha said that he crossed the flood (i.e. of suffering, of clinging to the world), neither by standing still, nor by struggling (or swimming)...
ruben2020's user avatar
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A question regarding Buddhist world view and sense organs and their objects

I have recently started reading about Buddhism and I wonder what the world view of Buddhism is -- is it the world view that there is not one world as we think, and instead we each have our own world? ...
NewlearningBuddhism's user avatar
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2 answers
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How can the sixth channel of dhatus be understood?

Could someone help clarifying the sixth channel of the eighteen dhatus - that is - the mental objects (dharma-dhatu), the mental faculty (mano-dhatu) and the mental consciousness (mano-vijñāna-dhatu)...
user avatar
1 vote
2 answers
343 views

How to interpret "cessation"?

Throughout the suttas, we find the following stock passage: "Now from the remainderless fading & cessation of that very ignorance comes the cessation of fabrications. From the cessation of ...
Brian Díaz Flores's user avatar
4 votes
6 answers
341 views

Meaning of the Rooted Sutta

From the Rooted Sutta (AN 10.58) we have the following paragraph translated by Bhikkhu Sujato. What does it mean? What are "things" or "phenomena" in this context? Please explain the whole paragraph. ...
ruben2020's user avatar
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To reach 1st jhana, do we have to let go, or do we have to put some effort?

Recently, I've been reading a lot about the different methods and perspectives for reaching the jhanas. For a long time, the only method I've been using is to "let go" everything, and to use the ...
Brian Díaz Flores's user avatar
3 votes
6 answers
2k views

Did the Buddha ever refute the view of "extreme metaphysical nihilism" e.g. a view that "nothing is real"?

Important note: I am only using the word "real" only in the sense of meaning "exists and is not an illusion". I am defining "extreme metaphysical nihilism" as the belief that "nothing is real". I ...
Angus's user avatar
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4 answers
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SN 22.62: What is meant by "scope of language"?

What is the message of this sutta? At Sāvatthī. “Mendicants, there are these three scopes of language, terminology, and descriptions. They’re uncorrupted, as they have been since the ...
Dhamma Dhatu's user avatar
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3 votes
2 answers
156 views

The World and Five Aggregates of Clinging

As I've heard, the "world" referred by Buddha (mentioned in the Loka Sutta and in Samyutta Nikaya - 4 -> LokaSamudaya Sutta) is the same as "Five Aggregates of Clinging" (Five-Updana-Skandas). That's ...
Isuru's user avatar
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1 vote
3 answers
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How & why can sexual intentions be harmful to others?

MN 19 says: And as I remained thus heedful, ardent, & resolute, thinking imbued with sensuality arose in me. I discerned that 'Thinking imbued with sensuality has arisen in me; and that ...
Dhamma Dhatu's user avatar
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4 votes
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In which suttas does The Buddha cover annihilationism (ucchedavāda)?

Given what I assume was the predominant view of the time, I would not be surprised if there are many Suttas that deal explicitly with resurrection (as opposed to rebirth which seems to be a more ...
Edgar Brown's user avatar
4 votes
8 answers
435 views

Is there a real difference between "not-self" and "no self", and if so, which one is correct?

Just in case someone is interested, this is a question based on this thread, but it's not necessary to read such discussion to understand and answer this question. I'd like to know about the ...
Brian Díaz Flores's user avatar
6 votes
4 answers
231 views

Does any sutta talk about the right conditions for teaching the Dhamma?

I've read in other posts (such as this one) about the right way to teach the Dhamma. But is there a way to know about the "when", i.e. when to reach out someone else to teach the Dhamma? In specific,...
Brian Díaz Flores's user avatar

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